Self lighting gas burner



(NO MOdel.)

Patentedv Mal'. 17,' 1896.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H..A.KENT. SELF LIGHTING GAS BURNER.

N0. 556,506.` Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

ANDREW E GRAHAM. Priom-mnawASHlNGTDN C.

UNITED STATES HENRY A.

PATENT OFFICE.

KENT, vOF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SELF-LIGHTING GAS-BURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,506, dated March17, 1896.

Application filed October 14, 1895. Serial No. 565,658. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/.f

Be it known that I, HENRY ANDREW KENT, engineer, a subject of the' Queenof Great Britain and Ireland, residing at The Limes, Brownlow Road,Bowes Park, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have inventedcertain Improvements in or Connected with Gas-Burners of the kind knownas Self-Lighting Burners, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention has for its object to provide an efficient and durablemeans in connection with gas-burners in which the gas is lighted withoutthe use of matches or the like. Itis known that platinum-black, orplatinum in a line state of division, when subjected to the action ofilluminating or heating gas and air will become heated to such a degreethat by means of a platinum wire it will cause the gas issuing from theburner to be ignited, but hitherto considerable difculties have arisenin its practical application, the principal being that the platinumbeing subjected to the action of the ame of the main burner has soonbeen converted into a carbide, and is then untted for its purpose. Ithas been proposed to overcome this difficulty by providing a by-pass forthe gas to be iirst ignited and then to be diverted from the by-pass tothe main supply to be ignited, but this necessitates the provision ofspecial taps and extra pipes or passages, and is therefore expensive anddifficult to 'apply to ordinary gasiittings, whereas a device accordingto this invention can be readily applied to ordinary gas-fittings.

This invention consists in first causing a small supply of gas to passin contact with the platinum or the igniting material used, and tobecome ignited thereby, the heat of the flame so produced being causedto act upon a device which, under the influence of this heat, is causedto effect the closing of the supply of gas to the platinum and to openthe supply of gas to the main burner, the flame iirst kindled at theplatinum after igniting the gas issuing from the main burner beingextinguished, and the platinum thus protected from the injurious effectof a continued subjection to the action of a flame. The platinum-blackand platinum wire are preferably inclosed in a tube or chamber toprevent injury or diplacement of the same.

The device which is acted upon by the heat of the flame of the small jetiirst ignited may consist of any arrangement which can be caused toalter its dimensions or position under the influence of .heatsufficiently to open the supply of gas to the main burner and afterwardclose the supply of gas to the small jet first ignited.

The accompanying drawings illustrate arrange ments according to myinvention Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan, of thechamber C with the upper parts removed. Figs. 3 and 4E are a frontelevation and a vertical section of the arrangement applied to what isknown as an incandescent gas-burner, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section ofthe arrangement applied to an Argand burner.

A is the main burner and B the igniting' device. y

C is a chamber into which the gas is admitted, it passing from thischamber to' the igniting device by the small perforation l), and to themain burner by the passage CL.

D is a corrugated box or case which may contain air, gas, or liquid, thesaid box vor case when it expands under the action of heat, by acting,for instance, on the levers E and F or the like, closing the perforationb to the flame ignited by the platinum and opening the valve a2, whichadmits the supply of gas to the main burner through the passage a.

The corrugated box or case D maybe contained in the chamber C, throughwhich chamber the gas passes on its way from the gassupply pipe G(controlled by the tap g) to the platinum-igniter B and to the mainburner A through the passage a and perforation l), respectively. Thelevers E and F are secured at one end to the inside of the chamber C, sothat when they are acted upon by the expansion of the corrugated box orcase D the valve d, secured to one of them, closes the perforation b forgas to the igniter B, and after the other of them has opened the passagea for gas to the main burner A, and thus the main supply of gas isignited and the igniter-flame is extinguished, the valves being sooperated IOO that the gas is admitted by the passage a before it is cutoi from the perforation Z9.

Vhen the supply of gas is turned oi the apparatus cools and the partsreturn to the positions ready to act to ignite the gas When it is againturned on.

H is a sheath which incloses the platinum and Wire of the igniter toprotect them from injury.

The arrangements shown in Figs. 3 4f, and 5 differ from that shown inFigs. I and 2 in the positions of the parts to adapt them for use withthe particular burners shown, and the parts are marked With the sameletters as those used to indicate corresponding parts in Figs. l and E2.

In Figs. 3 and et the position of the igniter B and chamber C near themantle X of the incandescent gas-burner necessitates the use of thepipes y and s, as shown, to conduct the gas to and from the chamber C.

In Fig. 5 the chamber C is provided With a compartmentat topcommunicating With the burner and separated from the main body of thechamber by a diaphragm c, in which is the passage a, controlled by thevalve for admission of gas to the main burner, the gas passing to theigniter by the pipe b2 and box Z13, from which the small orifice bopens.

The invention may be applied to gas-burners generally for illuminatingor heating purposes.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of thisinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatWhat I claim isl. In a self-lighting gasburner, the combination with themain burner and the igniter, having passages leading theretorespectively,

a normally-closed valve in the passage to the burner and a normally-openvalve in the passage to the igniter, and means operated by the heatingeiect of the igniter for opening the valve to the main burner and forclosing the valve to the igniter, substantially as described.

2. In a gas-burner of the kind hereinbefore described, the combinationWith a main burner and an igniter, of a chamber through Which the gaspasses, said chamber being provided with passages leading to said mainburner and igniter respectively, a valve-controller in said chamberactuated by the influence of heat, and valves operated by saidcontroller when expanded by heat to first open the passage to the mainburner, and then close that to the igniter, as set forth. y

3. The combination with a chamber connected with the gas supply, of amain burner connected With said chamber by a normallyclosed passage, anigniter arranged at the side of the main burner and connected with thechamber bya normally-open passage, said igniter being adapted to becomeignited by contact of gas therewith, an expansible de* vice in thechamber adapted to be operated by heat generated by the igniter7 andvalves operated by said device to first open the passage to the mainburner and then close that to the igniter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

Il. A. KENT.

lVitnesses IVILLIAM F. Ur'roN, II. D. I'IosKINs.

